Find out about penis enlargement, the risks and whether it works, including surgery to increase penis size, vacuum pumps and penis enlargement pills.

It’s possible to have an operation to increase the length or girth of your penis. However, there is little or no evidence to prove the safety or success of operations to increase penis size. Penis enlargement surgery can have complications, and many men are unhappy with the results.

Surgery for cosmetic reasons, such as penis enlargement, is not usually available on the NHS.

Penis size

It’s important to remember that penis size doesn’t affect sexual performance, and that no matter how small you think your penis is, it’s likely to be normal.

Surgery to increase penis length

Surgery to increase the length of the penis involves cutting the suspensory ligament. This ligament joins the penis to the pelvic area and supports the penis in an upright position when it’s erect.

When the ligament is cut, the penis hangs lower, which can make it look longer. However, cutting the ligament may also cause the penis to point downwards when erect.

A study in 2006 found that this procedure led to an average increase of 1.3cm in penis length. However, only 35% of men who had the operation were happy with the results.

While the men who had this surgery were convinced that their penis was too small, most of them had a normal-sized penis. Therefore, the researchers considered their problem to be psychological and suggested they should have seen a sex therapist before surgery was considered.

Surgery to increase penis girth

Surgery to increase the girth of the penis can involve injecting fat taken from elsewhere in the body into the penis. There’s a risk that the penis may look uneven or lumpy, and there may be scarring. The injected fat can also disappear over time.

Very little evidence has been published on the long-term effectiveness and risks of this technique.

Non-surgical techniques

Many non-surgical techniques are sold as being able to increase penis size. These include:

vacuum pumps

penis extenders and stretching devices

pills, supplements and creams

There is little evidence that any of these techniques work.

If you’re overweight, losing weight will make your penis look larger. This is because the fat around your stomach may hide some of the base of your penis.